Fajita Seasoning

I love making my own seasonings.  It is much more convenient than those little packets that are loaded with salt and chemicals.

3 tbs corn starch
2 tbs chili powder
1 tbs salt (more or less to your taste)
1 tbs paprika
1 tbs sugar
1 tbs crushed chicken boullion cube
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
3/4 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbs cumin

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well combined.  Store in a half pint mason jar.

On the back of the jar, I do have a small clear label that says Fajita Seasoning.

Southwest Chicken Salad with Avocado Lime Dressing

Miss V picked this recipe out on Pinterest this morning.  We just needed to pick up a few things to make it.  The original recipe is found at Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice.  I did make a few modifications.


For the Salad
4 corn tortillas

1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil

Kosher salt and fresh black pepper

4 cups chopped Romaine

1 bag of salad mix, your choice

1 can black beans, drained, rinsed

1 1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed

1 cup tomatoes, chopped

1 small red onion, cut in half then into thin slices

2 cooked chicken breasts, I just toss mine in the oven with salt and pepper

For the Avocado Lime Dressing

1/3 cup light olive oil or vegetable oil

2 avocados

1/2 cup sour cream

2 or 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, I love Nellie & Joe's

1 small clove garlic

Kosher salt and fresh black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Stack and cut the tortillas into 1/8 inch thick strips. Spread on baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake about 6 minutes, then toss and bake for another 5 to 6 minutes.

In a large bowl toss romaine, salad mix, tomatoes and onion.  In another bowl combine the beans, and corn.

Thinly slice the chicken or chop into bite size pieces.

To make the dressing put the ingredients (except salt and pepper) in a  food processor and pulse until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.

To assemble the salad place the lettuce mixture on a plate, then spoon on the beans and corn.  Then place on your chopped chicken and crispy tortilla strips.  I cheated and put on some avocado cubes too.

Spoon on the dressing and enjoy!

 

 



Hendrick's Gin Campaign

I am a faithful Bzz Agent.  I signed up a few years ago because I love trying new products and giving my feedback.  Most of the campaigns that I have been chosen for are Health & Beauty Aids.  I don't recall ever being chosen for a Food/Beverage campaign even though I am a Food Blogger.

Anway a few weeks ago I was invited to join the Hendrick's Gin Campaign.  I am not a gin drinker but thought it would be interesting to try something new.  I read up on Hendricks online and thought it sounds really intersting.

I received my Bzz Kit and opened it up. 

Inside the Bzz Kit was the Official Guide, four little recipe posters, a Cocktail Compendium and a metal thing and at first I did not see the rebate paper.  Later I found it stuck in the Cockatil Compedium.

 The first thing I noticed in the Bzz Guide was the "Tippling Topics".  The first topic is to procure a bottle for yourself then mail in your rebate as to hel recover any spent funds.  Hmm that sounded a bit odd to me.  I have used other sites to try adult beverages and was sent coupons to cover the cost of the beverages.

I finished reading through the Guide and the recipe posters. 

At that point, I figured out the metal object was a muddler.

I then started reading through the Cocktail Compendium.  It has some really intersting recipes and facts.  Then towards the back of the booklet, was the Rebate form stuck to one of the pages.

I am still having a hard time processing that there is a refund instead of an actual coupon.  Oh well, I will start looking online to see where I could purchase it.

I checked out our local liquor store.  And spotted online.  So let me get this straight...I am supposed to purchase a 750ml bottle for $30.99 + tax and sumbit a refund for $15.00? 

How does this work out in my favor?  This really irritated me.  You want me to try your product and review it, but I am out $15 - $16.

At this point I am a bit put out by this campaign and really do not plan on purchasing the Hendricks Gin.

If I have a change of heart or have an extra $30.00 + tax laying around, I may purchase it.

Fried Rice

Here is the fried rice recipe that goes along with the Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken.  The recipe is also from Life as a Lofthouse.

3 cups cooked white rice (I made the rice early this morning)

3 tbs sesame oil
1 cup frozen peas and carrots (thawed)
1 small onion, diced
2 tsp minced garlic (I didn't have any so I had to use garlic powder)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

On medium high heat, heat the oil in a wok or in my case the electric griddle. Add the peas and carrots mix, onion and garlic powder. Cook until tender.

Lower the heat to medium low and move the mixture to one side, then pour your eggs on the other side of griddle and cook until scrambled and dry.

Next add the rice and soy sauce and stir/toss all together.

Cook until heated through.

 

Sharing this recipe here:

Melt in Your Mouth Monday #98

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

This morning I was looking on Pinterest and a recipe for Baked Sweet & Sour Chicken caught my eye.  You can see the original recipe on Life as a Lofthouse.  I knew I had just about everything to make this and had to sub a few things.

Chicken and coating:

3 or 4 boneless chicken breasts

kosher salt and fresh black pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Sweet & Sour Sauce:

3/4 cup sugar

4 tbs ketchup
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 tbs low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp garlic powder

Preheat your oven to 325.

Cut the chicken breast into bite size cubes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Create a breading station by putting the cornstarch in a bowl and the beaten eggs in another.  I like to do this on the stove top.

In a large skillet heat the vegetable oil over medium high heat.

Place a few pieces of chicken in the corn starch then shake off the excess and dredge in the egg.  Immediately put them in the hot oil.  Brown on all sides, but do not cook through.  Place the browned chicken into a 13x9 baking dish and continue browning the other pieces of chicken until done.

 

Mix the Sweet and Sour Sauce in a bowl and then pour over browned chicken.

Bake for one hours, turning the chicken every 15 minutes.  This step is very important if you want crispy chicken.

Serve with rice or fried rice.

Sharing the recipe here:
Melt in Your Mouth Monday #98

Chocolate Peppermint Bundt Cake

I saw this pretty Chocolate Peppermint Bundt Cake on Pinterest.  I thought it would be perfect for Christmas.  I decided to cheat a bit with the cake since Christmas Eve day was a bit crazy.  I bought a Chocolate Cake mix and added the peppermint extract and chocolate chips.

After the cake was baked and cooled I followed the directions for the glaze and topping.

Glaze & Topping

3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1 to 2 Tbsp low-fat milk

1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1/8 tsp peppermint extract

2 peppermint candy canes, crushed

 

Mix the glaze ingredients in a small bowl and drizzle over cooled cake then sprinkle with the crushed candy canes.

 

 

It was so pretty!  The directions say that you may leave the leftovers on the counter.  So I left it on a covered cake pedestal.  The next morning well......it looked awful!  The candy canes had dissolved and ran down the sides of the cake.

 

It still tasted good, but I would not make this again unless it was served and eaten all in the same day.

Eggnog Gingerbread Trifle 2012

I first made this back for Christmas 2010.  I wanted a real Christmasy dessert this year and what is more Christmasy than Eggnog!

1 (14.5 ounce) package gingerbread cake mix (and ingredients to make it)
3 cups eggnog
1 (5.1 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Make and bake gingerbread cake mix according to package directions. Cool completely.

Place the pudding mix in your mixer's bowl. Pour in the eggnog. Use the whisk attachment and whisk for about 2 minutes until the pudding is thick and creamy.

Refrigerate the eggnog pudding until you ready to put together the trifle.

Place the mixer's bowl and the whisk attachment into the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes so that the whipped cream will come together quickly.

Add the cold heavy cream into the mixer's bowl and whisk on high until stiff peaks start to form. Add sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form again.

Cut the gingerbread in half. I like to cube my cake so that it looks prettier in the trifle bowl.

Place half of the gingerbread in the bottom of the trifle bowl. Spread half of the eggnog pudding over the gingerbread cubes. Then spread half of the whipped cream. Repeat layers.

This is so rich but oh so good!

Christmas Dinner - Eye Round Roast

A friend recently shared with me that she made an Eye Round Roast, but cooked at a super high temp for a very short time and then shut the oven off for a couple hours.

Well I had been trying to figure out what to make for Christmas Dinner.  Normally we do a Standing Rib Roast but that just gets pretty pricey even on sale.  Miss V and I went to Sweetbay in Venice on the way home from a play date.  They had the rib roast on sale for $6.99 a pound and Eye Round on sale, I forgot how much.  After much internal debate, I grabbed a 6 pound Eye Round.

I had googled for a good looking recipe with lots of comments and came across this recipe, Perfect Eye of Round Roast.  I loved reading the comments and the bloggers feedback.

Christmas morning we took the roast of the fridge and rubbed it down with lots of salt and pepper.  Let it rest for a long time on the counter.  About 11:30 we put it in the oven and roasted it for 35 minutes.  I am not sure how my oven is at keeping warm, I turned the oven down to 200.  I checked the internal temp after an hour and half and it was perfect for us.  We let it rest for about 20 minutes while we made salad and set the table.

Oh and I did rub down a few HUGE Russet potatoes with olive oil and lots of salt,  Wrapped them in foil and put them in the oven when we put the roast in.  The potatoes came out fantastic!!  Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

Look how nice and browned the roast got.  The ends were crispy and when I sliced them off my son snatched them up right away.

I totally forgot to snap a picture of slices, but it was a little more than medium. That is how the female population in my house prefer it.  Obviously the middle was a little more pink, like the male population likes it.

Oh......and the pan juices were incredible!!!  We poured that all over the roast slices and potatoes.  Would I make this type of roast again?  YOU BET!!!

Buffalo Chicken Dip (aka Chicken Poop)

This is always a hit when I make it.  I decided to make yesterday for a New Year's Eve party that we were going to.

This technically is a triple batch and you can easily scale it down.

3 - 10 oz cans chunked chicken
3 - 8 oz packages cream cheese (leave out to warm up to room temp for a couple hours)
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 cup Franks Red Hot
2 1/4 cups Shredded Cheddar cheese


Heat chicken and hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through. Stir in cream cheese and sour cream.

Cook, stirring until well blended and warm. Mix in half of the shredded cheese, and transfer the mixture to a slow cooker. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, cover, and cook on Low setting until hot and bubbly.

Serve with Tostitos scoops!

Monkey Bread/Stickey Biscuit Bun Ring

Another idea from Pinterest....

1 tube Pillsbury Grands buttermilk biscuits

3 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 cup Maple Syrup
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped pecans

 

Preheat oven to 375.
 

Spray a fluted bundt pan with non-stick spray.

Combine the melted butter and syrup in a small bowl and set aside.

In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts. Place about half of the syrup mixture in the bottom of the pan. Then sprinkle half of the brown sugar mixture on top.

Lay the biscuits on the bottom of the pan, overlapping edges (closely together) to form a ring.

Top with remaining syrup and sugar mixtures. Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 1 minute in the pan, then invert onto a serving plate.

The original recipe stated 15 minutes, which I did then cooled and inverted.  They were clearly not cooked all the way through.  It looked gross and doughy.  So I separated the biscuits and put them on a cookie sheet.  I baked them for another 8 - 10 minutes and then they were done.

Egg and Cheese on Grands Biscuits

We all woke up starving this morning.  I still had a tube of Grands Biscuits so I decided to make up a batch (8) Egg and Cheese sandwiches.

I love the pin I found on Pinterest about baking eggs in muffin pans. 

 Yes the eggs still look tiny on the Grands size biscuits.  The would be perfect on the regular size biscuits.

Snowman Soup

Since we were out passed midnight for New Years, I figured we could indulge this morning for breakfast.

I was making a nice cup of hot tea for me and asked Miss V if she would like tea or hot chocolate.  She smiled and said snowman soup!  Silly girl, that wasn't one of the options, but I will happily oblige her request.

 I am thinking that those marshmallows will not be enough for her.

 Marshmallows and Hershey Kisses all melted.  I even threw in another small handful of marshmallows.

Oh my neglected blog....

I have been severely neglecting my blog.  I just realized I only blogged 94 times in 2012.  I don't make New Years Resolutions, but will vow to blog more recipes in 2013!